There's an article on future
plans for No One Lives Forever on GameSpy with word on plans at Monolith for
future releases of both a tool package and an expansion pack for No One Lives
Forever 2, their spy shooter sequel. There are scant details on the add-on, except
that it's expected before the end of this year, and that it will put players in
the role of one of the bad guys, rather than as Cate Archer. What they have to say
about plans for a free multiplayer patch is more concrete, including word it is
expected within the next couple of weeks. Here's the deal:

The “first
big release” (as Monolith put it) is a huge NOLF2 multiplayer patch
which will be released within a week or two, adding deathmatch, team deathmatch,
and a new gameplay mode called Doomsday. The patch should contain over 10 maps,
many based on NOLF2 single-player levels (including Siberia, Japan, and
Khios), but including large pieces of original architecture as well.

While we're on the subject of sequels, can you guys name any recent great action games that have had even greater sequels? I have this nagging feeling that sequels of this magnitude tend to attract undue amounts of criticism.

Can a lower rating to a sequel be brought about not by the actual quality of the game but by the growing and increasingly rabid fanbase forciby dissecting every organ and orifice of their favorite meal's latest incarnation? In such a case it may never be possible for sequels to be perceived as superior to the original, as each new iteration is scrutinized to increasing degrees.

Or is it possible for the devs, in the perceptions of every member of the fanbase, to truly outdo themselves the next time around?

This comment was edited on Mar 9, 22:53.

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